Exotic Trees & Plants

We carry exotic and tropical trees and plants for both indoors and outdoors (cold hardy varieties). Why? Because we love them! I have always been faxcinated with Palm trees, Tickle-me plant, and Banana plants. I started with just a couple Banana (Musa Basjoo) and went from there. Most of the cold hardy varieties still require heavy mulching and some winter protection to survive our climate. However, there are a few that will surprise you and do fine here with just a little care. For the indoors, I recommend at least one Banana plant...they are so awesome a palm and a couple interesting plants like Goji berry or a carnivourous plant.

Banana

Musa Basjoo-cold hardy

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25.00 n/a

Musa Basjoo is the hardiest Banana plant on earth. It comes from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. When properly mulched it can handle -29 Celsius. This plant is a very fast grower capable of growing up to two feet in one week. The plant stops actively growing at 5C and at -2C the leaves start to die back. Protecting the plant can be done by cutting it back at 2 or 3 feet and covering with mulch and plastic. For the lazy gardener wrap the trunk of the plant with water pipe insulation. I use bubble wrap and mulch! In the spring (late May) remove the plastic and mulch and watch it grow back very quickly.

Personal Comments: I love these plants....Had to have them. They look great indoors and out. I have 2 indoors and 2 outside. They grow fast. You can watch them grow, literally! When one leave dies, another is soon to replace it. I picked a place outside by my deck and I planted them on each side. It is nice to have the tropics in your back yard, by your pool, deck, in a garden etc.

Musa Acuminata Zebrina - Blood Banana

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40.00 o

Musa zebrina, or Blood Banana, is a tender evergreen perennial native to Indonesia. The colorful leaves are dark green with red splotches on the topside and wine red on the underside with a brownish midrib. They will reach from 8-10 foot (2.4-3 m) in height. They easy to culture and are hardy from USDA zones 8-11.

Blooming Time: The orange yellow to red flowers that are in large terminal spikes can appear at anytime of the year as long as the plant is mature enough. The fruit is orange and is not edible.

Culture: Musa zebrina need full sun to partial shade with a moist well-drained soil mix. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. To this mix we add a 9-3-27 slow release fertilizer at a rate of 1 cup per 0.01 cubic yards of soil mix. ( If confused just ask when you come to buy, it is easy to keep). The plants should be kept moist but not overly wet. In containers, plants only reach about 4 feet (1.2 m) in height.

Personal Comments: Blood red all over the leaves and small....what more could you want from a banana plant.

Musa Cheesmani

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25.00 0

Musa cheesmani is a large, robust and fast growing banana from the Assam province in India. It forms beautiful tight groups.

The pseudo-stem is somewhat swollen at the base, up to 6 m (20′) long, intense brown-red with green or red sheaths at the bottom, slightly waxy to the top which is most striking in young plants.

The peduncles have fine membranous edges and closely sheath the pseudo-stem. The leaf blade is hardly waxy though it is grayish, with a purple-brown midrib. The juice is watery and milky.

The female inflorescence is tilted away from the plant or hanging, standing far from the plant on a long, thin peduncle 4 cm (1.6″) thick. The flowers are a creamy white to pale yellow.

The hand contains up to 10 bananas. The fruits are on a long peduncle (4 cm/1.6″) and measuring about 10 cm (4″) long and 4 cm (2″) wide. They are white-green.

Very cold hardy to -18c.

Musa Helen's Hybrid

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40.00 soldout

An interesting new discovery from the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Darjeeling district, home to so many fabulous plants. This beautiful banana seems to be a hybrid between Musa sikkimensis and Musa "Chini-Champa", a cultivar with very sweet and tasty fruits, popular in this area of India . While Musa "Chini-Champa" seems to bring some of the fruit quality and color, namely the red leaf-midribs, reddish leaf undersides, waxy white leafstalks and reddish stems into this marriage, Musa sikkimensis must be responsible for the cold-hardiness that enables it to grow here between 1400 and 1700 m (4700 and 5500 ft.). The fruits of course do have seeds, but otherwise their quality is quite agreeable, perhaps as close as one can get to a cold tolerant edible banana.Apparently very cold hardy....worth trying outside and with some winter protection for zones 5b/6a.

Personal Comments: And you might get edible fruit from this one!

Musa Sikkimensis

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25.00 n/a

40.00 n/a

A unique hardy species from the Himalayas, producing vigorous, tough green foliage, flushed with ruby-red. Very frost and wind tolerant in borders or large containers. Z8-10. 9-14ft.

Wow! A rare and little known large banana species, new to cultivation, that sports a massive pseudo-trunk to 4,5m (14ft) tall and 45cm (18in.) in diam., tinged with red, and purple new leaves and leaf-midribs. A rare percentage of plants even exhibits beautifully dark red mottled leaves. The Darjeeling Banana is very hardy to cold (i.e. in the sense of Musa basjoo) coming, as it does, from montane forests up to 2000m (6000ft) in the Himalayas of NE-India. First trials outdoors in the US, Britain, Canada, Germany and Switzerland have shown an excellent resistance to cold and frost. Like all bananas, it is extremely fast growing, given rich soil and an abundance of water. The fruits have a sweetish pulp but are hard and contain a few large seeds. An absolute novelty that shows great promise as an ornamental for the temperate as well as the cooler tropical garden. We think this plant that has more potential than any other cold tolerant Musa in cultivation at the moment.

Personal Comments: I have grown many of these and love them.....as much as Musa Basjoo!

Musa Sikkimensis 'Daj Giant'

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25.00 n/a

This is another natural hybrid of the Sikkimensis banana. We refer to it as the Darjeeling Giant. It is fast growing, robust, and equally as cold hardy as M. Sikkimensis. A distinct character is that the fruits are semi-angular and bluntly rounded at the apex. The leaves are mostly purple with the underside purple in juvenile stage. The pulp is sweet with small seeds.

Height: 12-18ft

Hardy: Zone 7a w/o protection....thus it is cold hardy.

Personal Comments:Love the size of the leaves!

Musa Sikkimensis 'Red Tiger'

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25.00 n/a

Musa Sikkimensis Manipur Red also known as Tiger Red, Darjeeling Banana Red or Himalayan Banana tree is found in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayan region in northern India at altitudes of 4,000' to 7,000' sometimes with light snow.

Wow! Here's a unique chance to grow this new hardy species of Banana. This tree is an absolute novelty that shows great promise as an ornamental for the temperate as well as the cooler tropical garden. A rare, strong and vigorous grower with tough green foliage flushed with distinctive ruby-red tints, suitable for large containers or growing in the border. It is a beautiful plant that can provide an unmistakable tropical look to both tropical and temperate gardens.

This little known large banana species, new to cultivation, is a vigorous grower, reaching up to 9 – 12 (3-4 m) feet in a few years that sport a massive pseudostem, up to 18 in (45 cm) in diameter. The Manipur Red is a perennial herb with stolons and many red stripes, so many sometimes that the leaves appear almost red.

Height: 10-13ft

Hardy: Zone 7a w/o protection....thus it is cold hardy.

Personal Comments: Love a little red splash..this is it!

Ensete Glaucum - Snow Banana

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40.00 n/a This one is really cool

25.00 n/a

A larger version of the Abyssinian Banana not so well known, sometimes called Musa nepalensis or Ensete giganteum, or Ensete wilsonii. It grows in China up to 2600-8800ft, Nepal, India, Burma, and Thailand. It has a thick, waxy and blue, solitary trunk with huge bluish leaves up to 10ft/3m long. An extremely fast growing banana given heat, but after trials it has proven not to be so hardy as the Abyssinian Banana. With protection may survive here.

Plant habit: Solitary, non suckering with stem height up to 12 ft tall. Whole plant dies down after fruit are ripe and new populations originate from seeds. Stem glaucous with a broad base, tapering upwards, with large "banana" leaves.

Cold Hardy: Zone 7b.

Flowering habit: when the stem reaches full maturity, a strong inflorescence develops from the apical portion of the stem. The actual inflorescence defies description in layman's terms so the illustration should make up for our lack of words. The fruits are about 5 inches long, filled with large black seeds. It has very little pulp.

Ensete Superbum - Rock Banana

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25.00 n/a soon

Superbum is a delightful species originating from India but can also be found growing at the rim of forests in Burma and Thailand, often on rocky ground and at some altitude. The beautiful bright green/grey leaves can reach a length of about 5’. The blooming plant can reach a height of 10’ to 12’ while the dark brown-red inflorescence is held well above the larger leaves. This is a rare, sought after plant.

Hardiness: Zone 8-10

One of the most beautiful banana plants around.

They call it "the Rock Banana". This species should be far more cold-hardy than the Ensete superb
Ensete superbum subsp. Thailand is a magnificent ornamental!
Compared to other Ensete's the pseudostem is very short so the plant has rather the appearance of a huge nest-fern. The midrib has a red blush on the underside of the leaves. The foliage is spectacular!

Personal Comments: This will make an amazing specimen

Ensete Ventricosum- Abyssinian Banana

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25.00 n/a

African banana Ensete ventricosum and is one of the fastest growing of all the bananas. Known to normally grow up to 6 feet in one year. Not producing edible fruit but shows off their beautiful unfurling leaves with both red and sometimes white edges. The dark maroon midrib very attractive. This is best grown in large pots as it does not tolerate heavy frosts.

Hardy: in zones 9-11.

Personal Comments: I personally love this banana! It is gorgeous and has amazing form. Plus very fast to grow...and I grow them from seed.

Musa acuminata- Dwarf Cavendish Banana

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20.00 sold out

Banana trees are large tropical trees that look wonderful surrounding a pool or on the patio. Better yet, although the tree is a dwarf, the fruit are regular size bananas!

The Dwarf Cavendish quickly reaches a maximum height of about 10 feet. which is easy to bring indoors if you are in cooler areas. They look stunning outside where the large leaves, some are long as 4 foot long, are seen at their best. Young leaves may have a tinge of red on them, but the majority of the tree will be fresh green.

Trachycarpus Fortunei- Windmill Palm

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seedling 10.00 0

Tree 5 gal 55.00 sold out

Fortunei is the most popular of the hardy palms and has been cultivated in the West for a hundred and fifty years since the explorer and adventurer Robert Fortune first saw it growing on Zhousan Island off the east coast of China. Cultivated on the mainland for much longer than that, its origins are obscured in history. Its hardiness against cold is legendary, as is its easy care nature. Because of its wide availability it is often the first hardy palm that many of us own. It is also probably the palm species best tested and documented for its frost resistance. This is this most common palm grown along the West Coast and used by the City of Vancouver in its palm tree plantings.

I have mine outside from May-November in PEI. I will winter test it when it is a little bigger.

Poncirus trifoliata- Cold Hardy Orange

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seedling 10.00 n/a

Poncirus trifoliata, also known as trifoliate orange or Japanese bitter orange or Flying Dragon (bonsai), is a close relative to the Citrus trees. It a decidious or semi-decidious tree which is native to China. Leaves are trifoliate, and flowers are white, simple and often fragrant. It bears inedible fruits that look like small Citrus fruits.
This little tree is very frost hardy, as it will withstand frosts down to -5°F (-21°C) and lower. It can thus be grown in USDA zones 6 and warmer. This tree has sharp spines that can be up to 2 in long.

Trifoliate oranges are small fruits, yellow when ripe, looking like small oranges, whith a slighly pubescent skin. The flesh, which is inedible, contains many seeds.

Comments: I was given one that is many years old....it is really cool looking!

Goji Berry

Price $Availability

plant 20.00 18

Goji berries (aka Wolf berry) grow on an evergreen shrub found in temperate and subtropical regions in China, Mongolia and in the Himalayas in Tibet. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.

Goji berries are usually found dried. They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins

Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of zeaxanthin's key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65.

I use them in my stir frys! Yes they taste good.

The goji berry plant could qualify as either a bush or a vine. It seems to be a bush-like plant with trailing vines that reach out from a bushy center. Keep pruned once the vine trailings exceed 12 ft.

Scientific Name: Lycium barburum

Summary

Light Requirement: (sheltered as a seedling for 2 years) then Full Sun

Cold Hardiness: Zone 4b

Height: 10 feetFoliage: Green

Form: vine or shrub

fruit: goji berries...taste like raisins...

Growth Rate: medium

Soil: Fertile, well-drained -can withstand drought

comment: they bare fruit in the 3rd year.

Sensitive Plant (Mimosa Pudica)

Price $Availability

Plant 5.00 10

The 'sensitive plant', Mimosa pudica is a source of fascination to adults and children alike. When you gently touch the narrow fern-like leaflets they almost instantaneously fold together and the leaf stalk droops. This sometimes sets off a chain reaction, with several leaf stalks falling on top of one another, causing the collapse of a whole section of foliage, or perhaps the whole plant. When left to its own devices, the plant gradually returns to normal, this taking up to about 10 minutes to half an hour. This touch-induced movement of leaves is known scientifically as thigmonasty, and is thought to be a defensive mechanism against grazers.

At night, the leaves will also fold and bend in movements known as nyctonastic movements (reaction to absence of light). Keep it well drained not too moist not to dry.

Price $Availability

15.00 n/a

Bamboo

Fargesia nitida or otherwise known as Blue Fountain Bamboo is an outstanding ornamental non-invasive bamboo with outward arching slender branches and dark purplish canes that are covered with a bluish-white powder. This bamboo in it's native high mountain habitat grows at elevations over 8,000 feet and is extremely hardy to -32c degrees. The rich green leaves are delicate, and very attractive. Fargesia nitida is a thin bamboo with a very vertical visual pattern. The foliage seems to float around the whip-like culms. A dainty and graceful bamboo that is perfect for the shady area of the garden and a wonderful companion plant to rhododendrons, azalias, hostas and ferns. The overall bamboo is vase shaped, gently arching over at the top from the mass of foliage. It makes an excellent thick hedge or screen. Fargesia nitida prefers rich well drained soil and partial to full shade to perform its best. Like most Fargesias, some protection from the hot afternoon sun is advisable but not required.